Runaway Groom

by Sally Clements

  “I haven’t seen any of those.”

  “That’s because it’s not summer,” she said as though explaining to a troublesome small child. “I wear white in the summer.”

  “You used to wear all sorts of colors.” A memory of April in a green sweater and jeans popped into his head from nowhere. “I remember a green jumper…”

  “Yeah, well.” She took her coat from the hook and slipped one arm into it. “That was then.”

  He moved close, and held up the back of her coat so she could slip her other arm in. Her hair smelled of lemon shampoo. The same shampoo he used, so the scent really shouldn’t be so enticing. The curve of her ear, the way her hair curled against the back of her neck… “I think you’d look great in red.”

  Her head jerked as her face turned to his. A trace of pink flushed her cheekbones. “I thought we were late.” She stepped away.

  Just in time.

  *****

  There were a lot of cars parked at the airfield, and about thirty people waiting as they arrived.

  Like her, they didn’t look like runners, the majority dressed in casual clothes rather than custom running kit. So these were the people Matthew worked with. April watched as they approached with smiles on their faces.

  “Hi boss.” The stranger was very good looking, and obviously single, if the gang of women surrounding him was any indication. He eyed her with interest.

  Picking up on the unspoken question, Matthew made introductions. “Jason, this is April.” He introduced the rest as they approached, but there were too many names for April to remember them all.

  “Come on over, and Janice will set you up.”

  Nerves fluttered in April’s stomach.

  After attaching a tag to her shoelaces, April listened carefully as Janice explained how the system worked. From the corner of her eye, April could see Matthew talking to three women. They were obviously the clients, dressed in business clothes with high heels, rather than casual running gear. “Susan, Matthew’s secretary, will be cheering you on.” Janice waved across the runway to a blonde woman standing alone in front of a camera. “It all gets rather competitive, I’m afraid.”

  April swallowed. “I’m not a very good runner,” she confessed.

  “Don’t worry about it. No pressure.” Janice grinned. “I’m glad I got the opportunity to record things rather than running though. Of course, Matthew leads the field, but doesn’t he always?” She looked curious. “So, you’re a friend of his?”

  “I’m staying with him at the moment.” She didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, and was on the point of explaining in more detail just why she was living with him when Matthew waved her over. “Ah—”

  “Better not keep him waiting.” Janice patted her arm, and turned back to the computer set up on the trestle table. “I’ll see you later, have fun.”

  Fun? Hardly. She’d be happy if she managed to manage the run without embarrassing herself by collapsing. The looping track looked considerably more daunting than she’d expected. It seemed to go on forever. April breathed in deep and walked over to Matthew and the clients.

  “April, I’d like to introduce Angela, Mel and Belinda.”

  She shook hands.

  “I’m so glad to meet you, April.” Angela was obviously the boss; the others stood silently smiling as she spoke. “Matthew should have brought you to dinner with us.”

  They obviously had got the wrong idea about her and Matthew’s relationship too. April wasn’t sure what to say. He’s not my boyfriend, would sound gauche.

  “April had some friends over last night.” Matthew’s words did nothing to explain things.

  She cast a glance his direction.

  “Well I hope you will join us tonight. It’s our last night in town, and we’ve persuaded Matthew to have dinner with us again.” The way Angela asked, it was difficult to say no.

  “Oh, well, yes.”

  Matthew looked over to where the rest of his employees were lining up on the starting line. “I think they’re ready to go. Angela, why don’t you all join Janice? She’ll show you how the system works, and you can watch the campaign over the monitors.”

  “Wonderful.” The clients were obviously impressed.

  April was too. The whole office had turned out on a Saturday to demonstrate the system revealing that Matthew’s employees were really engaged with the whole process. The smiles and easy way everyone talked around him couldn’t be faked. He must be good to work for.

  A hand grasped her elbow. “Let’s go.” His wide smile took her breath away. “I’m going to run fast. Don’t try to keep up.”

  April snorted. “Don’t worry.”

  “Jason’s very competitive.”

  Jason’s not the only one.

  “Just run at your own pace. Did Janice tell you Susan is acting as our cheerleader?”

  They lined up with the others at the starting line. She nodded. “Matthew, I think we should tell the client we’re not...”

  Someone blew a whistle, and before she had a chance to finish the sentence, they were off. Matthew’s long legs propelled him away from her as though he had a rocket strapped to his back. For a moment, she almost stopped dead just to watch the beauty of a man built to run, doing what he did best, but standing staring at him as he did his best impression of poetry in motion would have been a dead giveaway, so she jogged after him.

  One by one, the rest of the staff passed her. This was going to be embarrassing.

  A slightly overweight redhead jogged along with her. “Oh, this is awful,” the redhead groaned.

  “Yes, it sure is.” April couldn’t hold back a smile. “I’m April.”

  “I know. I’m Margie.” The redhead held out a hand. “Accounts.”

  April shook it. “I don’t suppose you know a shortcut,” she said in a stage whisper.

  “There’s no shortcut.” Margie smiled. “Just do me a favor, will you? Let me know if my make-up slides off my face or I start getting sweaty.” Her gaze was glued to a tall figure in front. “If Jason hadn’t suggested drinks after, I’d still be at home in bed.”

  “Oh, you and Jason?” April waggled her eyebrows.

  “Me, Jason, and the rest of the single females from the office,” Margie confessed. “But if you’re not in, you can’t win, right?”

  “Right.”

  “My aim is just to get around this course without falling flat on my face or having a heart attack. I have my sleeves stuffed with tissues, and emergency mascara in my car.”

  Margie was fun. Talking to her was so distracting April was almost able to block out the ache in her calves as she pounded the asphalt. “I’ll let you know if you suffer a make-up malfunction.”

  Margie gave April a thumbs-up. “I’ll do the same for you.” She gestured ahead. “Aha, here comes the first screen.”

  April slowed her pace, allowing Margie to edge further ahead. The screen was filled with a graphic that changed to live feed from the cameras. Two of Margie’s friends jumped up and down, waving banners. Seeing them, Margie laughed out loud.

  The boost she’d received was evident. Margie’s posture changed, as though her body had become lighter and she picked up the pace and ran faster, talking into the recorder hanging around her neck as she did so.

  As April approached, the image on screen shifted with a message for her. A stranger, who must be Susan, waved at the camera, and held out a sign proclaiming “You can do it.”

  The response on April wasn’t quite as profound. After all she didn’t have friends or family supporting her, but still the encouragement on Susan’s face triggered a burst of enthusiasm for the task ahead. Instead of thinking about the whole circuit, she should focus on reaching the next sign. She’d worry about the next one when she got there. Four signs and she’d be finished. The on-screen Susan gave her a thumbs-up, and in response April kept going, lengthening her stride to catch up with Margie.

  April fiddled with the device around her neck and
carefully recorded her feelings as she ran.

  Where’s Matthew? April glanced across the track to see him speeding past the final screen. By the time she reached the next one, he’d be finished. She pounded the asphalt automatically. The burn in her legs had ceased to be so painful as her body became accustomed to the steady rhythm, and she concentrated on breathing in and out through her mouth. This wasn’t so bad.

  She drew level with Margie. “How are you doing?”

  Margie’s face was flushed, but she was not in any difficulty. “Not too bad. We’re not last, anyway.”

  Sure enough, there were about ten people behind them. Some were red-faced and puffing. Others were walking.

  As they approached the next screen, there was a loud shout from across the track. Matthew had his arms in the air, and a moment later, Jason followed.

  “The boss always wins,” Margie said. “Jason has been training hard all week. He was determined to pass him today.”

  “So there’s a lot of rivalry in the office.”

  “There is between Matthew and Jason, they’re both alpha to the max. Jason’s always trying to beat him in something. We have a table-tennis tournament in the summer. Matthew is the unbeaten champion too.”

  The image of Margie’s friends onscreen had showed them waving ten pound notes in the air and squealing. “Lots of people bet on Jason today, but we all bet on Matthew. We knew he hadn’t been training as hard because he’d been out at a lot of meetings and working till late, but I knew he’d nail it.”

  Her gaze was full of questions. “He hadn’t been training in the evenings secretly, has he?”

  “No. He hasn’t been out running since last week.” The moment the words left April’s mouth she wished she could catch them back. She only knew Matthew’s movements because they were sharing a house. Margie would get the wrong idea...

  “Have you known Matthew long?”

  “For years,” she confirmed. “We just caught up again a few weeks ago. I’ve been staying with him.”

  “So do you normally live in London?” Margie smiled. “I hope I’m not being too nosy.”

  April shook her head. Talking was keeping her focused, and the time was flying. They were nearly at the third screen. “There was a fire in the coffee shop under my apartment. Matthew offered me somewhere to stay.”

  It was evident from the look of disappointment on Margie’s face that April’s words had shattered some dream she was having about her hard-working boss having a hot affair.

  “He’s great. When Susan’s husband left her last year she fell to pieces,” she confided. “She sent out the wrong paperwork and almost scuppered a big contract. Luckily Matthew managed to put things right. She told me he refused point blank to accept her resignation and bought tickets for her and the kids to go to New Zealand to visit her family for a couple of weeks. He always comes through in a crisis.”

  Yet when June had needed him, he ran. The disconnect was jarring.

  This time April approached the screen first.

  Susan waved, gave the thumbs-up, but this time the banner was in Matthew’s hands. He’d turned it over and scrawled, “Go, April, go!” on it. He was grinning like a fool.

  “You’re doing great,” she read on his lips.

  There was something strangely intimate about the message he mouthed just for her. The look in his eyes was one of pride. As if he knew just how unprepared she’d been for this challenge, and admired her for giving it her all. She talked into the recorder, her pace increasing to match the on-screen Albios-clad feet.

  Matthew cheered as she crossed the finish line, and handed her a bottle of water. His arm came around her shoulders, and his mouth brushed hers in a quick kiss.

  She wouldn’t have thought her heart could beat any faster, but it did.

  *****

  Where is she? They had to leave in an hour, and April hadn’t come back from her shopping trip yet. Matthew dressed in a grey suit and stalked into the sitting room. The house was so quiet without her. Even though she spent a lot of time locked away in the room upstairs, he’d become accustomed to the constant hum of the sewing machine. He glanced at the coffee table. The stack of newspapers he kept under there was gone. no doubt tidied up in her recent cleaning. He checked in the cupboard, then went upstairs to see if she’d stacked them in his room, agitation rising.

  He should have cut the advertisements out of them, but there had always been something more important to do. And at a pinch, he could order copies of the photographs of his advertising campaigns, but the thought she’d thrown them away without asking made him grind his teeth.

  There was the sound of a key turning in the lock in the front door.

  April stood on the doorstep, clutching a handful of bags.

  “Where did you put my newspapers?”

  Her smile disappeared. “What are you talking about?”

  “The newspapers on the shelf under the coffee table, where are they?”

  “I put them out for recycling.”

  Matthew swore and stalking into the kitchen, lifting the top of the paper recycling bin. Recycling day was tomorrow. The papers were there. With a sigh of relief he pulled them out. “I need these. They have my ads in.”

  She glared. “I didn’t know.”

  “If you don’t know something, just ask.”

  “Fine.” Her tone conveyed loudly that she didn’t think it was fine at all. She was definitely pissed off. “I’m going to get ready.”

  “We have to leave soon.”

  She shot a glare his direction. “Like we had to leave soon earlier?”

  With a toss of her long brown hair, she left the room.

  Loud music blared from her room as she got ready. Fine, she was in a mood. He got it. Matthew gritted his teeth. He was totally within his rights to tell her off.

  Half an hour later, he was pacing the room. This evening was important. Important to his business. And work trumped a little hurt feelings every time. His hands were clenched into fists so he deliberately stretched out his fingers.

  When she’d crossed the finish line he couldn’t resist kissing her. A certain amount of it had been down to the lustful looks Jason had been firing her direction. The office Lothario had every woman in the place chasing him around, but his eyes had shot straight to April like a heat-seeking missile the moment she’d climbed out the car. Never before had Matthew felt the need to brand a girlfriend as his...

  Girlfriend? His? Matthew stopped dead and stared at the curtains. Where the hell had that come from? He was helping April out, not dating her.

  The whole idea was crazy.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  He turned to the doorway.

  April’s dress was more deep-burgundy than red, and reached just above her knee. Long ruby earrings swung from her lobes, brushing her shoulders. High heels showed off acres of leg.

  He swallowed. “You look great.”

  “Thanks.” No smile. She slipped on the black velvet coat she was carrying and opened the front door.

  He brushed past her and closed it. “Are you sulking?”

  April crossed her arms. “I don’t appreciate your attitude.” The glare she fired at him would melt steel. “I worked very hard cleaning up your house. Sure, I made a mistake, but it was an easy one to make. If you talked to the housekeeper you were going to hire like that, she’d quit.”

  “You’re overreacting.”

  “No. I’m not. You treat your other employees with courtesy, why not me?”

  “Just because I’m paying you doesn’t make you my employee.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “No, dammit, it doesn’t.”

  She was a lot more. She was someone who shared his home, someone he couldn’t resist the urge to kiss any longer. He stepped close, slipped an arm around her waist.

  Her mouth opened on a shocked gasp.

  “You’re a hell of a lot more than an employee.”

  Her hands pressed against
his chest. “Matthew...”

  The moment he kissed her, everything changed. This was no casual brush of the lips like earlier out at the finish line. Her lips parted under his. Her hands snaked up to the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his hair as their mouths fused.

  Through a haze of sensation Matthew was dimly aware they should be going, should be driving to the dinner. But making things right with April was a lot more important. Nothing was more vital than showing her how he felt, making sure she understood. When he finally pulled away they were both breathing hard.

  “You are the most irritating man on the entire planet,” she whispered. “I don’t know what you’re doing kissing me.” She frowned, but her eyes blazed with arousal.

  “I’m taking what I want. What we both want.” He touched her cheek. “Tell me you don’t want this too.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “Wanting something doesn’t mean we can have it.” Her eyes clouded. “There are reasons we shouldn’t let this go any further. You and I are far from a match made in heaven.”

  She was right. Sooner or later they’d have to talk about his past, the past so inexorably linked to hers.

  “You and June…”

  Once again June was messing with his life. “It was a lifetime ago.” The urge to confess the truth was strong. If April understood more about what had actually happened between them, the last barrier to a relationship would dissolve. But in the process, he’d destroy the blind faith she had in her sister’s goodness. It was a step he wasn’t prepared to take. “You and I are the only ones here. June is history. I’m not saying we’re destined to end up together, but this attraction is heading only one place, to my bed.” He brushed his thumb against her full bottom lip. “Tell me you want it too.”

  Her eyes darkened. “You know I do.”

  He leaned in close again. Breathed over her lips, “Let it happen.”

  Chapter Eight

  The evening was multi-layered. On the surface, they greeted Angela, Mel, and Belinda at the restaurant and discussed business. Beneath, undercurrents swirled. With every glance Matthew’s direction, April’s heartbeat accelerated. The banked heat in his gaze showed he was thinking the same things she was. When the evening’s work was done, there was nothing standing between them any longer.